A view of the Camel Valley vineyard in Nanstallon near Bodmin, Cornwall.
Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PA

It captured the hearts of the French some time ago, but now English sparkling wine is preparing for its next major breakthrough – America.

This week the first full container of English wine will be shipped to the US – 5,000 bottles from four different producers, including some of the best-known names in English wine.

The wines, from Digby Fine English, Hush Heath Estate, Bolney Wine Estate and Camel Valley, are produced in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Cornwall. All are award-winning sparkling wines made in the traditional method, and are destined for nine states including New York, Pennsylvania, Montana and Massachusetts, as well as the capital, Washington DC.

For the past five years English wine has been on an unstoppable upward curve. Investment in equipment and expertise, together with a gradual increase in global temperatures, means Britain’s sparkling wines – 90% of which are made with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, the three grapes used to make champagne – rival the world’s best fizz.

Such is the suitability of the chalky soils of southern England that two champagne houses, Taittinger and Vranken-Pommery, have invested millions in setting up operations here. One owner of a major vineyard said he had turned down an offer from another champagne house of “more than €6m” for his business. America has been slower to catch on, but word is spreading beyond New York, where any sommelier who reckons to have their finger on the pulse will know about English wine. “It’s no longer a novelty. It’s now known there are great sparkling wines coming out of England,” said Liz Willette of New York importer Grand Cru Selections. In Washington DC another importer, Siema, is busily taking orders for cases of Ridgeview, one of the best-known English wines. “Interest is overwhelming,” said the company’s Andrew Stover.

The latest batch of exporters are concentrating on the smartest retailers and restaurants. “It’s a huge deal for us. This is a world-class product and it deserves its place on all the great wine lists,” said Trevor Clough, head blender at Digby Fine English. Digby’s 2010 Vintage Reserve Brut sells for £39.99 in Selfridges and Harvey Nichols and will cost around $75 in the US.

“That’s not expensive,” said Clough.

“This wine stands up to any competition thrown at it. Our wines are as good as champagnes costing twice as much. American connoisseurs understand that.” The British Bottle Company, which is making the shipment, has navigated the near-impenetrable regulations of the US market to get the bottles shipped out. In March the government announced its pledge to achieve a tenfold increase in English wine exports by 2020. “The US is a clear priority market for exports and this deal is a significant milestone,” said Julia Trustram Eve of English Wine Producers, the marketing arm of the UK wine industry.